Antiaircraft projectile



Jan. 25, 1944. w. B. FRASER ANTIAIRCRAFT PROJECTILE 2 Sfieets-Sheet 2 I Filed June 1'7, 1942 Patented Jan. 25, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ANTIAIRCRAFT PRQJECTILE Walter B. Fraser, SLAugustine, Fla. Application June 17, 1942, Serial No. 447,413

6 Claims. (o1. 102-63) This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in anti-aircraft projectiles.

1 The primary object of the invention is to provide an anti-aircraft projectile wherein the shell projected from the cartridge during firing carries a spooled cable with a parachute at one end of the cable and a weighted member at the other end of the cable, with timed fuse and firing devices for discharging the cable, parachute and weight from the projectile with the suspended end projected in the path of flight of an enemy plane for the purpose of fouling the airplane propellers, ailerons and other control elements of an enemy airplane, it being understood that a plurality of such projectiles will be substantially simultaneously fired into the path of an enemy airplane in flight.

A further object of the inventionis to provide an anti-aircraft projectile of the foregoing character wherein the shell of the projectile houses a canister and within which canister there is housed a coiled cable carrying a parachuteat one end with the other end of the cable secured to a bottom closure wall for the canister, selectively timed firing devices within the nose of ithe'projectile and base of the canister forthe discharge of the canister from the projectile casing and thesubsequent displacement of the bottom closure wall for the canister, with the unwinding and extension of the cable and parachutefrom the canister for placement in the path of flight of an enem airplane.

With the above and other objects in view that will become apparent as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of an anti-aircraft projectile constructed in'accordance with the present invention, the canister therein containing a parachute and suspension cable being shown in elevation,

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the canister containing the parachute and cable removed from the projectile casing and showing the center cord tube for housing the parachute and the coiled cable disposed between the cord tube and wall of the projectile casing,

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the canister removed from the projectile casing and with the weighted bottom wall of the canister to which one endofthe cable is attached displaced relative to the canister,

Fig. 4 is aside elevational view of the parachute and cable in its suspended or floating position, with the weighted bottom wall of the canister at the lower end of the cable,

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, I

Fig. 6 is an inner face view of the weighted bottom wall of the canister,

Fig. 7 is a detail section-a1 view taken on line of Fig. 8, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view taken on line 88 of Fig. 2.

"Referring more in detail to the accompanying drawings and particularly to Fig. 1, there is fragmentarily illustrated an anti-aircraft projectile comprising a shell 10 having the usual powder or other explosive charge H therein and in the forwardend of which shell there is mounted a projectile casing l2 carrying a soft metal rifling band l3 and a solid projectile nose I l.

The present invention primarily relating to the idea of projecting floating cables in the path of flight of enemy airplanes for the purpose of fouling the propellers of such planes or other flying control elements thereof, the projectile casing l2 houses a cylindrical container or can.- ister [5 that, when housed within the projectile casing I2 terminates in spaced relation to the that is welded or otherwise'secured to the inner face of the end wall I! and is of'such diameter as to snugly fit within the adjacent end of the canister and to be spot-welded or otherwise secured to said canister as at 20. A funnelshaped wall 21 is secured at its outer edge to the forward end of the ring [9 and the inner end thereof has a packing joint connection with the annular groove 22 concentric of the end wall l1 and provides a powder receiving chamber 23 between said funnel-shaped wal1 2i, ring l9, and end wallll. The forward end of the canister is closed by a concaved end wall 24.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2, 5, 7 and 8, the canister I5 is provided with an axially positioned tubular core 25 with the rear end thereof abutting the adjacent face of the weighted inner end wall l1, while the forward end of the tubular core 25 is flanged outwardly as at 26 for spotwelding or securing engagement with a cross wall 21 in the canister adjacent the concaved end wall 24. The cylindrical cannister l and the axially positioned tubular core provide inner and outer concentric chambers 28 and 29, the core chamber 28 housing a parachute 30 while the canister chamber 29 houses a, spirally wound cable 3|. As shown in Figs. 2 and 5," the tubular core 25 has one side thereof longitudinally pressed inwardly as at 32 to provide a longitudinally extending surface groove for the reception and passage of the strand section ill of the cable, the inner face of the weighted endwall 17 within the annular groove 22 having an arcuate recess 33' therein to, permit passage of the strand section 3H of the cable and entry into the core chamber 28 for attachment'to the cords 34 of the parachute 30. .The cable strand 3| at the forward end 'of the tubular core 25 is directed outwardly and laterally as at 31 with such portion of the strand overlying a radial slot 35 in the cross plate 21 and then forming a part of the coiled cable 3|. The end of the coiled cable 3| within the canister chamber 29 extends into an opening 36 formed in, the weighted end wall I! with the terminal end thereof split and welded as at 36 to the end wall 11 while the cross screw 3'! threaded into the cross opening 38 in the end wall engages the adjacent end of the cable for further anchoring the same to the end wall.

The projectile has been designed to be fired from standard anti-aircraft guns, and time fuses are associated with th powder chamber IS in the nose of the projectile and the powder chamber 23 at the base of the canister for the sequential discharge of the canister from the projectile casing and the displacement of the weighted end wall I! of the canister for the discharge of the cable and parachute. A fuse line 39 extends longitudinally of the tubular core 25, one end 39 thereof being extended through an angular opening in the weighted end wall I! for communication with the powder chamber 23 while the forward end of the fuse line 39 as shown at 39 in Fig. 2 extends into the powder chamber Hi. The powder chamber I6 is first operated for the removal of the canister l5 from the projectile casing l2 and the powder chamber 23 is next operated to displace the weighted end wall I! of the canister as shown in Fig. 3, the weight of the end wall I! unwinding the cable 3| from the chamber 29 and finally removing the parachute 30 from the cord chamber 28 with the cable, parachute and end wall assuming the floating or suspended position illustrated in Fig. 4. If desired, the powder chamber It may be eliminated and with the canister I5 remaining in the projectile, the end wall I! of the canister maybe displaced for the removal of the cable and parachute from the canister.

From the above detailed description of the invention, it is believed that the construction and operation thereof will at once be apparent, and whil there is herein shown and described the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless to be understood that minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

, I claim: l v 1. In an anti-aircraft projectile of-the character described, a projectile casing, a canister therein, explosive means for ejecting the canister from the projectile casing, a weighted end wall for the canister, a parachute and cablein the canister with one end of the cable attached to the parachute and the other end of the cable attached to the end wall, a partition in the canister adjacent to and cooperating with the weighted end wall to form a powder blast chamber, and a time fuse associated with the powder blast chamber for the operation thereof to displace the end wall for the release of the parachute and cable with the parachute and weighted end wall operative for holding the cable perpendicularly suspended.

2. In ananti-aircraft projectile of the character described, a projectile casing, a canister therein, a weighted end wall for the canister, a

parachute and cable in the canister with one end of the cable attached to the parachute and the other end of the cable attached to the end wall, a partition in the canister adjacent to and cooperating with the weighted end wall to form a powder blast chamber, and a time fuse associated with the powder blast chamber for the operation thereof to displace the end wall for the release of the parachute and cable with the parachute and weighted end wall operative for holding the cable perpendicularly suspended, the end of the canister adjacent the nose of the projectile terminating in spaced relation to said nose to provide a powder blast chamber with which said time fuse is associated for discharging the canister from the projectile prior to operation of the first-named powder blast chamber.

3. In an anti-aircraft projectile of the character described, a projectile casing, a. canister therein, explosive means for ejecting the canister from the projectile casing, a weighted end wall for the canister, a parachute and cable in the canister with one end of the cable attached to the parachute and the other end of the cable attached to the end wall, a partition in the canister adjacent to and cooperating with the weighted end wall to form a powder blast chamber, and a time fuse associated with the powder blast chamber for the operation thereof to displace the end wall for the release of the parachute and cable with the parachute and weighted end wall operative for holding the cable perpendicularly suspended, a tubular core in the canister with the parachute normally confined therein while the cable is coiled around the tubular core.

4. In an anti-aircraft projectile of the character described, a projectile casing, a canister therein, a weighted end wall for the canister, a parachute and cable in the canister with one end of the cable attached to the parachute and the other end of the cable attached to the end wall, a partition in the canister adjacent to and cooperating with the weighted end wall to form a powder blast chamber, and a time fuse associated with the powder blast chamber for the operation thereof to displace the end wall for the release of the parachute and cable with the parachute and weighted end wall operative for holding the cable perpendicularly suspended, the end of the canister adjacent the nose of the projectile terminating in spaced relation to said nose to provide apowder blast chamber with which said time fuse is associated for discharging the canister from the projectile prior to operation of the first-named powder blast chamber, a tubular core in the canister with the parachute normally confined therein while the cable is coiled around the tubular core.

5. Inan anti-aircraft projectile of the character described, a projectile casing, a canister therein, explosive means for ejecting the canister from the projectile casing, a weighted end wall for the canister, a parachute and cable in the canister with one end of the cable attached to the parachute and the other end of the cable attached to the end wall, a partition in the canister adjacent to and cooperating with the weighted end wall to form a powder blast chamber, and a time fuse associated with the powder blast chamber for the operation thereof to displace the end wall for the release of the parachute and cable with the parachute and weighted end wall operative for holding the cable perpendicularly suspended, a tubular core in the canister with the parachute normally confined therein while the cable is coiled around the tubular core, the tubular core being longitudinally indented to provide an external groove therein with the end of the cable attached to the parachute extending from the weighted end of the canister through said groove for coiling around said core while the other end of the cable attached to the weighted end wall assures immediate unwinding of the cable upon displacement of the weighted end wall.

6. In an antiaircraft projectile of the character described, a projectile casing, a canister therein, a weighted end wall for the canister, a parachute and cable in the canister with one end of the cable attached to the parachute and the other end of the cable attached to the end wall, a partition in the canister adjacent to and cooperating with the weighted end wall to form a powder blast chamber, and a time fuse associated with the powder blast chamber for the operation thereof to displace the end wall for the release of the parachute and cable with the parachute and weighted end wall operative for holding the cable perpendicularly suspended, the end of the canister adjacent the nose of the projectile terminating in spaced relation to said nose to provide a powder blast chamber with which said time fuse is associated for discharging the canister from the projectile prior to operation of the first-named powder blast chamber, a tubular core in the canister with the parachute normally confined therein while the cable is coiled around the tubular core, the tubular core being longitudinally indented to provide an external groove therein with the end of the cable attached to the parachute extending from the weighted end of the canister through said groove for coiling around said core while the other end of the cable attached to the weighted end wall assures immediate unwinding of the cable upon displacement of the weighted end wall.

WALTER B. FRASER. 

